Tennis is played on a wide variety of court surfaces, including, for example, grass, clay, hardcourt, concrete, asphalt, OmniCourt™ or other synthetic surfaces, etc. Some of these surfaces, particularly hardcourt, concrete, and asphalt, can be very hard on footwear, particularly on the outsole structure of the footwear and any other portion that regularly contacts the ground. As an example, the average life of a tennis shoe outsole, at a collegiate level of play, when used on a hardcourt surface, is about 40 hours. Therefore, high volume players, such as professional, collegiate, or high school athletes, typically need to replace their shoes about once a month or even more often.
Because tennis is a year-round activity for at least some players, particularly in warmer climates and/or for those with access to heated or indoor facilities, a high volume player may find it necessary to purchase new shoes frequently throughout the year. In light of the relatively high cost associated with high quality tennis footwear (e.g., in many instances over $100 per pair), shoe replacement costs at this frequent rate can be substantial and burdensome. Players that use excessively worn footwear, on the other hand, run an increased risk of injury from slips, slides, and footwear failure during use. Breaking in new shoes also involves injury risk, e.g., from blisters, improper fit, etc. Additionally, worn footwear or “un-broken in” footwear, in at least some instances, can adversely affect the user's performance, potentially costing points, games, sets, etc.
Tennis is not the only athletic or recreational endeavor that can be tough on footwear. For example, footwear used in skateboarding, cycling competitions (e.g., ramp jumping, SuperBMX, freestyle, supercross, motocross, etc.), basketball (particularly street basketball), volleyball, and the like, can wear very quickly, particularly under a high volume of use. Active children and adolescents also can be extremely tough on footwear and can wear through shoe outsoles very quickly. Substantial costs can be involved in frequent replacement of footwear used in these types of activities or by these users.
In some instances, footwear also can be exposed to a wide variety of conditions in use. Returning to the example of tennis, a player's tennis shoe outsoles typically are the only direct interface between the athlete and the court surface. In addition to the different potential surface types, as described above, the court surface also may be exposed to a wide variety of conditions, and play may take place under a variety of conditions. For example, in some instances the court may be wet or damp, depending on the local weather, humidity, groundskeeping, and the like. As additional examples, depending on the ambient temperature, the presence of sunshine or wind, the court surface, and the like, the court surface temperature during play or practice can vary widely, typically from as low as 50° F. or even lower, to as high as 120° F. or even higher. A single outsole material, design, and/or construction may not be suitable or optimal for use under this myriad of conditions. Purchasing, storing, and transporting numerous pairs of shoes to events in an effort to accommodate and optimize performance under a wide variety of potential conditions further increases the expense and burden associated with at least some athletic or recreational endeavors, particularly for high quality, competitive players.
Other athletic events also take place under a variety of different conditions, including different play conditions and/or different surface conditions. For example, track and field events may take place on a variety of different track or other field surfaces, and/or the events may take place under a wide variety of weather conditions (e.g., heat, cold, wet, dry, etc.). No single pair of shoes, including the uppers and outsoles, is necessarily best or optimized for use under this wide variety of potential track and field conditions.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for footwear products, footwear systems, and methods that can reduce costs associated with footwear, particularly footwear used under high volume and/or heavy wear conditions. It would be advantageous, in at least some instances, if such products, systems, and methods further were capable of helping to optimize user performance, optionally taking into account a variety of use, ground surface, weather, and/or other conditions.